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contumacy

[ kon-too-muh-see, -tyoo- ]
/ ˈkɒn tʊ mə si, -tyʊ- /
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noun, plural con·tu·ma·cies.
stubborn perverseness or rebelliousness; willful and obstinate resistance or disobedience to authority.
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Origin of contumacy

1150–1200; Middle English contumacie<Latin contumācia, equivalent to contumāc-, stem of contumāx unyielding, stubborn (con-con- + -tum- of uncertain sense, though connected by classical authors with both contemnere to regard with contempt and tumēre to swell) + -āx adj. suffix) + -ia-ia

Words nearby contumacy

control variable, controversial, controversy, controvert, contumacious, contumacy, contumely, contuse, contusion, conundrum, conurbation
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to contumacy

contempt, disobedience, insubordination, rebelliousness, recalcitrance, recalcitrancy, refractoriness

How to use contumacy in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for contumacy

contumacy
/ (ˈkɒntjʊməsɪ) /
noun plural -cies
obstinate and wilful rebelliousness or resistance to authority; insubordination; disobedience
the wilful refusal of a person to appear before a court or to comply with a court order

Word Origin for contumacy

C14: from Latin contumācia, from contumāx obstinate; related to tumēre to swell, be proud
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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